Etta James has been called "the greatest of all modern blues singers". Here you can read an account of her life story. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Sam and Dave were known as "the greatest of all soul duos". Read about the history behind this famous duo and learn about their music and songs. They were 1992 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In the 1950s, financial prosperity allowed young Americans to participate in a shared culture of rock and roll music, movies, and television.

Featured is a song list, historical timeline of the group, and biographical background information on "The Band" who once played as the backup group for Bob Dylan. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Explore the in-depth "rich and storied" history of one of the premier rock bands that spanned the decades between 1960-1990. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

Read about the life history of the "Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin. In 1987, she was the first woman inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Temptations typified what Motown was all about in the 1960s. Read the history behind this Grammy winning group that at one time ruled the Top Forty and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Read up on the controversial rock band of the 1960s who hit #1 in 1967 with "Light My Fire". The Doors were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

The songs and movies of modern times have had a major influence on fashion. Coincidentally, many of these important fashion-influencing films of recent times had one thing in common: John Travolta. From the white leisure suits ofSaturday...

I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag' by Country Joe McDonald has been played with great success in classrooms for over twenty years. While it conveys literary elements such as theme, point of view, and irony, it also functions as an...

The Republican era of Ronald Reagan and George Bush had to deal with difficult foreign affair events. Reagan dealt with terrorism, including hostage taking and gundowns, particularly from Libya. Bush dealt with aggression on the part of...

The Underground Railroad was a significant part of American History. It served as a lifeline to hundreds of slaves who risked their lives to escape the horrors of bondage. Through readings of primary sources and listening to music,...

As educators, the goal of developing students into discerning, critical viewers may enable them to negotiate with more confidence through the treacherous waters of today's multimedia. Studying the various viewpoints as expressed in...

From Robert Frost's 'Mending Wall' to Pink Floyd's 'The Wall,' humankind erects and maintains real and symbolic barriers to protect and defend opposing stances, beliefs and territories. Examples of real walls in history have been the...

Rock music can serve as a way to increase student interest in the curriculum, and a way to help students make sense of who they are and what their place is in the world, so asking students to bring in their own music to teach each other...

This activity uses music from three different areas of the world and three different time periods in the 20th century to address the issue of civil rights for black populations.

As part of a general music class for 6th and 7th graders, various instruments are introduced. This lesson exposes students to the various timbres produced by the saxophone using popular, contemporary music.

One of the more difficult literary concepts to teach is irony, especially ironic point of view. Not only do students often miss the subtle linguistic clues, they become distracted by the issue of author's intent. Whether it's the classic...

By listening to and analyzing the lyrics of selected examples of popular music from the 1960s era, students will develop a greater understanding of the historical and political forces as well as the emotional climate of the decade. This...

Using an artistically integrated approach in teaching literary themes helps students to explore more fully the universality of those themes. Rock music is a form of cultural expression which, because of its mass appeal, can become a...

This lesson is designed to help students recognize how lyrics by the rock-poet Jim Morrison connect with themes from diverse and respected traditional works. While William Blake's influence on Morrison is often noted, this lesson focuses...

As the Cold War evolved over four decades, the end of the world seemed imminent as the nuclear arms race continued to escalate. Popular music, especially in the 1980s, reflected this growing pessimism. By 1989 and 1990, as the Berlin...

Students are often hesitant to speak out with their own explications of literature, but usually have no qualms when asked to offer interpretations of popular musical lyrics. In fact, they seem quite eager to defend a lyrical explanation...

Students are aware of most their personal rights and freedoms. However, many have not critically evaluated the significance of the Bill of Rights and are unaware that the Bill of Rights only applied to the federal government from 1791...